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  • Grammy Awards announce 2026 nominations with Kendrick Lamar leading. See the list of the nominees.

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    The 68th Grammy Awards nominations are out with Kendrick Lamar leading with nine nods.

    Following Lamar, Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer and songwriter Cirkut received seven nominations. Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas and Serban Ghenea were all nominated in six categories. 

    Music released between Aug. 31, 2024, and Aug. 30, 2025, is eligible for Grammy nominations — meaning some notable recent winners, including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, were not eligible for nominations. 

    This year’s awards include two new categories: best traditional country album and best album cover. The existing best country album category was renamed to best contemporary country album.

    The award show will take place on Sunday, Feb. 1, in Los Angeles. It will air on CBS and Paramount+.

    Here’s a look at the 2026 Grammy Awards nominees:

    Album of the Year

    • “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” — Bad Bunny
    • “SWAG” — Justin Bieber
    • “Man’s Best Friend” — Sabrina Carpenter
    • “Let God Sort Em Out” — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
    • “MAYHEM” — Lady Gaga
    • “GNX” — Kendrick Lamar
    • “MUTT” — Leon Thomas
    • “CHROMAKOPIA” — Tyler, The Creator

    Song of the Year 

    • “Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga, Henry Walter & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
    • “Anxiety” – Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)
    • “APT.” – Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas & Henry Walter, songwriters (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)
    • “DtMF” – Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Thomas Spry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, songwriters (Bad Bunny)
    • “Golden” [From “KPop Demon Hunters”] – EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X:EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)
    • “luther” – Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar With SZA)
    • “Manchild” – Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
    • “WILDFLOWER” – Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

    Record of the Year

    • “DtMF” — Bad Bunny
    • “Manchild” — Sabrina Carpenter
    • “Anxiety” — Doechii
    • “WILDFLOWER” — Billie Eilish
    • “Abracadabra” — Lady Gaga
    • “luther” — Kendrick Lamar With SZA
    • “The Subway” — Chappell Roan
    • “APT.” — ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

    Best New Artist

    • Olivia Dean
    • KATSEYE
    • The Marias
    • Addison Rae
    • sombr
    • Leon Thomas
    • Alex Warren
    • Lola Young

    Producer of the year, non-classical

    • Dan Auerbach
    • Cirkut
    • Dijon
    • Blake Mills
    • Sounwave

    Songwriter of the year, non-classical

    • Amy Allen
    • Edgar Barrera
    • Jessie Jo Dillon
    • Tobias Jesso Jr.
    • Laura Veltz

    Best album cover

    • “CHROMAKOPIA” — Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez, art directors (Tyler, The Creator)
    • “The Crux” — William Wesley II, art director (Djo)
    • “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” — Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, art director (Bad Bunny)
    • “Glory” — Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S., art directors (Perfume Genius)
    • “moisturizer” — Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale, art directors (Wet Leg)

    Best pop solo performance

    • “DAISIES” — Justin Bieber
    • “Manchild” — Sabrina Carpenter
    • “Disease” — Lady Gaga
    • “The Subway” — Chappell Roan
    • “Messy” — Lola Young

    Best pop duo/group performance

    • “Defying Gravity” — Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
    • “Golden” [From “KPop Demon Hunters”] — HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI
    • “Gabriela” — KATSEYE
    • “APT.” — ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
    • “30 For 30” — SZA Featuring Kendrick Lamar

    Best pop vocal album

    • “SWAG” — Justin Bieber
    • “Man’s Best Friend” — Sabrina Carpenter
    • “Something Beautiful” — Miley Cyrus
    • “MAYHEM” — Lady Gaga
    • “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)” — Teddy Swims

    Best rock performance

    • “U Should Not Be Doing That” — Amyl and The Sniffers
    • “The Emptiness Machine” — Linkin Park
    • “NEVER ENOUGH” — Turnstile
    • “Mirtazapine” — Hayley Williams
    • “Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning” — YUNGBLUD Featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II

    Best metal performance

    • “Night Terror” — Dream Theater
    • “Lachryma” — Ghost
    • “Emergence” — Sleep Token
    • “Soft Spine” — Spiritbox
    • “BIRDS” — Turnstile

    Best rock song

    • “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” — Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)
    • “Caramel” — Vessel1 & Vessel2, songwriters (Sleep Token)
    • “Glum” — Daniel James & Hayley Williams, songwriters (Hayley Williams)
    • “NEVER ENOUGH” — Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory, Meg Mills & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)
    • “Zombie” — Dominic Harrison & Matt Schwartz, songwriters (YUNGBLUD)

    Best rock album

    • “private music” — Deftones
    • “I quit” — HAIM
    • “From Zero” — Linkin Park
    • “NEVER ENOUGH” — Turnstile
    • “Idols” — YUNGBLUD

    Best R&B performance

    • “YUKON” — Justin Bieber
    • “It Depends” — Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller
    • “Folded” — Kehlani
    • “MUTT (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk)” — Leon Thomas
    • “Heart Of A Woman” — Summer Walker

    Best R&B song

    • “Folded” — Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Dawit Kamal Wilson, songwriters (Kehlani)
    • “Heart Of A Woman” — David Bishop & Summer Walker, songwriters (Summer Walker)
    • “It Depends” — Nico Baran, Chris Brown, Ant Clemons, Ephrem Lopez Jr., Ryan Press, Bryson Tiller, Elliott Trent & Dewain Whitmore Jr., songwriters (Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller)
    • “Overqualified” — James John Abrahart Jr & Durand Bernarr, songwriters (Durand Bernarr)
    • “YES IT IS” — Jariuce Banks, Lazaro Andres Camejo, Mike Hector, Peter Lee Johnson, Rodney Jones Jr., Ali Prawl & Leon Thomas, songwriters (Leon Thomas)

    Best R&B album

    • “BELOVED” — GIVĒON
    • “Why Not More?” — Coco Jones
    • “The Crown” — Ledisi
    • “Escape Room” — Teyana Taylor
    • “MUTT” — Leon Thomas

    Best rap performance

    • “Outside” — Cardi B
    • “Chains & Whips” — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams
    • “Anxiety” — Doechii
    • “tv off” — Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay
    • “Darling, I” — Tyler, The Creator Featuring Teezo Touchdown

    Best rap song

    • “Anxiety” — Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)
    • “The Birds Don’t Sing” — Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., Terrence Thornton, Pharrell Williams & Stevie Wonder, songwriters (Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring John Legend & Voices Of Fire)
    • “Sticky” — Aaron Bolton, Dwayne Carter, Jr., Dudley Alexander Duverne, Tyler Okonma, Janae Wherry, Gloria Woods & Rex Zamor, songwriters (Tyler, The Creator Featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne)
    • “TGIF” — Lucas Alegria, Dillon Brophy, Yakki Davis, Jess Jackson, Ronnie Jackson, Mario Mims, Jorge M. Taveras & Gloria Woods, songwriters (GloRilla)
    • “tv off” — Jack Antonoff, Larry Jayy, Kendrick Lamar, Dijon McFarlane, Sean Momberger, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay)

    Best rap album

    • “Let God Sort Em Out” — Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
    • “GLORIOUS” — GloRilla
    • “God Does Like Ugly” — JID
    • “GNX” — Kendrick Lamar
    • “CHROMAKOPIA” — Tyler, The Creator

    Best country solo performance

    • “Nose On The Grindstone” — Tyler Childers
    • “Good News” — Shaboozey
    • “Bad As I Used To Be” [From “F1® The Movie”] — Chris Stapleton
    • “I Never Lie” — Zach Top
    • “Somewhere Over Laredo” — Lainey Wilson

    Best country duo/group performance

    • “A Song To Sing” — Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton
    • “Trailblazer” — Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson
    • “Love Me Like You Used To Do” — Margo Price & Tyler Childers
    • “Amen” — Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
    • “Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame” — George Strait, Chris Stapleton

    Best country song

    • “Bitin’ List” — Tyler Childers, songwriter (Tyler Childers)
    • “Good News” — Michael Ross Pollack, Sam Elliot Roman & Jacob Torrey, songwriters (Shaboozey)
    • “I Never Lie” — Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols & Zach Top, songwriters (Zach Top)
    • “Somewhere Over Laredo” — Andy Albert, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson & Lainey Wilson, songwriters (Lainey Wilson)
    • “A Song To Sing” — Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure, Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton)

    Best traditional country album

    • “Dollar A Day” — Charley Crockett
    • “American Romance” — Lukas Nelson
    • “Oh What A Beautiful World” — Willie Nelson
    • “Hard Headed Woman” — Margo Price
    • “Ain’t In It For My Health” — Zach Top

    Best contemporary country album

    • “Patterns” — Kelsea Ballerini
    • “Snipe Hunter” — Tyler Childers
    • “Evangeline Vs. The Machine” — Eric Church
    • “Beautifully Broken” — Jelly Roll
    • “Postcards From Texas” — Miranda Lambert

    For a complete list of all 95 categories, visit GRAMMY.com.

    The Associated Press

    contributed to this report.

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  • Grammys invites all Latin Grammy voting members to Recording Academy: Why it matters

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    NEW YORK — In the last few years, the Grammy Awards have made a concerted effort to diversify its electorate. In 2024, the Recording Academy revealed significant changes to its evolving voting body, saying 66% of voters joined in the previous five years, a number of whom were women and people of color. This year, there’s even more movement: For the first time ever, all Latin Grammy voting members were invited to join the Recording Academy as part of its 2025 new member class.

    The Latin Grammys are a licensee of the Grammys and follow a similar voting process. But while the Grammys focus on the U.S. market, the Latin Grammys have global considerations, according to Latin Recording Academy CEO Manuel Abud. The Recording Academy also has a number of members on the Latin Grammys board.

    The results are notable: There are 3,800 new Recording Academy members in 2025. Half — 50% — are 39 and under, 58% are people of color and 35% identify as women.

    And in that group, there are approximately 2,900 new Grammy voting members. Nearly half, 49%, are 39 and under; 60% are people of color and 30% identify as women.

    Over the last few years, Latin music has been skyrocketing in popularity, routinely celebrated as one of the fastest growing streaming genres in the United States.

    “The addition of many Latin Recording Academy voting members underscores that music has no borders and that our mission to serve music people, regardless of where they are from, is stronger than ever,” Harvey Mason jr., academy president and CEO, wrote in a statement. “I can’t wait for our members’ passion and hard work to shine through in this year’s nominations.”

    Reform at the Record Academy dates back to the creation of a task force focused on inclusion and diversity after a previous CEO, Neil Portnow, made comments belittling women at the height of the #MeToo movement. In the past, the Grammys have been criticized over a lack of diversity — artists of color and women left out of top prizes; rap and contemporary R&B stars ignored.

    In 2024, Mason jr. told The Associated Press that the Recording Academy sought to increase its voting body by reaching out to different, underrepresented communities. “Let’s take the time to understand why those people aren’t engaging with us, figure out how we can fix that,” he said. “And once we fixed it, then let’s invite them or ask them if they would like to be a part of our organization. So, it was a multi-step process.”

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  • Miguel’s ‘CAOS,’ fueled by anger and angst, is his first studio album in nearly a decade

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    NEW YORK (AP) — If you wondered why Miguel didn’t release a studio album for nearly a decade, his response is simple: life.

    This cover image released by ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Record shows “CAOS” by Miguel. (ByStorm Entertainment/RCA Records via AP)

    “I needed to do some growing. I had to get my (expletive) together.”

    Since 2017’s “War & Leisure,” the world has experienced a variety of globally-impactful events: a second Donald Trump presidency, a coronavirus pandemic, an American social justice movement, an ongoing three-year war between Russia and Ukraine, and a two-year Israel-Hamas war that recently entered a ceasefire.

    “We’re just seeing, I think, a big question mark of humanity being asked in real time every day,” Miguel said. “I needed to go away and recalibrate and just get in touch with my anger and figure out how best to move forward with that in a productive way … I’m really glad that I did because it’s what informed this album.”

    “CAOS” is a sharp departure from the superstar’s vibey, sensual sound that made him a hit-making staple in R&B. The singer-songwriter’s fifth studio project, morphed from his 2023-scrapped “Viscera” LP, dropped Thursday, coinciding with his 40th birthday. He wrote on all 12 tracks and handled the bulk of production with Ray Brady. The lone feature belongs to the legendary George Clinton of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honorees Parliament-Funkadelic.


    Led by the singles “RIP,” “New Martyrs (Ride 4 U),” “El Pleito,” and “Angel’s Song,” the album radiates his trendsetting fusion of alternative rock, R&B and electronic sounds, but in unfamiliar, darker tones. The music evokes feelings of urgency, protest and rebellion.

    “ This album is the most angsty, angry album I’ve ever made. But I think underlying and underwriting the message and the themes is this core need to express discontentment in a healthy way that creates the feeling and the future that I want.”

    The thief of joy

    Miguel poses for a portrait in New York on Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Gerard Hamilton)

    Miguel poses for a portrait in New York on Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Gerard Hamilton)

    Miguel also faced internal plights: divorce, family death and industry disillusionment.

    “The value of my work became about outside appreciation as opposed to internal gratitude,” said the artist who’s earned four top 20 tracks on the Billboard 100. The admission comes from a Grammy winner who’s created new-day classics such as “Adorn,” and “Sure Thing” and fan favorite mood-setters like “All I Want is You” and “Skywalker.”

    “When you see something in culture be really successful … you can start comparing … and it’s such a slippery slope,” said Miguel, who released bits of music during his hiatus, like the EPs “Te Lo Dije” and “Art Dealer Chic 4,” and songs “Don’t Forget My Love” with Diplo in 2022 and “Sweet Dreams” with BTS’s J-Hope earlier this year. “It’s about connecting more deeply and having a deeper conversation with my audience, as opposed to wanting to make the big song.”

    Not a sure thing

    During his hiatus, Miguel and Nazanin Mandi divorced. The singer began dating Mandi at 19 years old before marrying in 2018. They divorced four years later.


    “It was a painful thing to go through” said Miguel, who wrote “Always Time” to address the breakup. “Some things you do have to let go, if you really, really love it, and I think that was a good indication that I needed to take some time for myself.”

    Last month, in celebration of his son’s first birthday, Miguel publicly revealed he was a first-time father with filmmaker and former Vogue China editor Margaret Zhang. “Angel’s Song” is dedicated to his child.

    Spanish-language songs

    “CAOS,” Spanish for chaos, also features another turn from the genre-bending artist: Spanish-language songs. While 2019’s “Te Lo Dije” featured Spanish recordings of previous songs, this project contains original tracks like “El Pleito” and “Perderme.”

    “It was always floated as ‘You should lean into Latin as a marketing (tactic).’ … It just didn’t feel natural,” said Miguel, whose mother is African American and father is Mexican American. “Here I am now, and it’s more about my identity and who I am and who am proud to be.”


    Back to the future

    Miguel, serving as this year’s scholar-in-residence at NYU’s Steinhardt School, is also focusing on his S1C venture geared toward providing Black, Mexican and Latino creators with development and financial support. He also appreciates the futuristic-R&B sound that swelled during his absence, which he’s largely credited with helping to introduce.

    “I love that I can hear my influence in some of the music today,” said Miguel, who gained younger fans in 2023 after “Sure Thing” went viral on TikTok and Instagram more than a decade after its release. “You’re like, OK, we were in the right place.”


    Despite grappling with staying true to yourself and your music, not being captive to the charts, Miguel feels appreciated by his fans, and centers himself in gratitude.

    “I’m so lucky to have found a core audience who really rides with me through all of my evolutions,” he said. “I do think that I’ve been appreciated. And I think that there’s opportunity for it to be more, and more importantly, deeper.”

    ___

    Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

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  • Samara Joy reflects on her Grammy wins and the creative journey behind ‘Portrait’

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    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Samara Joy’s voice has the ability to transform listeners to the early jazz clubs, filling them with warm nostalgia for legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

    At 25, Joy is a five-time Grammy winning recording artist, whose album, “Linger Awhile” won her best new artist and best jazz vocal album in 2023. She’s been praised by artists like Chaka Khan, Regina King and Quincy Jones and has amassed a large following of her Gen-Z peers on TikTok, introducing a new generation to jazz.

    Last year, Joy released “Portrait,” her third and most personal studio album allowing listeners into the tension between excitement and feeling overwhelmed that often follows a whirlwind of accolades and success. Her first original song “Peace of Mind” fully captures this moment.

    “I wrote it in a time where I was really questioning whether I could continue or not because I was so exhausted,” said Joy. “I reminded myself through that Sun Ra composition that I have experienced something wonderful, and it doesn’t have to be the end all be all. This is just the beginning … this is just a springboard for all of the other creative ideas that I have and what I feel like I have to offer.”

    For Joy, releasing “Portrait” was a creative challenge and a turning point toward trusting her creative instincts.

    “It’s taught me a lot about what I can do and to stand firm in the creative vision and the direction that I see for myself,” she said.

    Joy sat down with The Associated Press to talk about life post-Grammy wins, how diving into “Portrait” helped her grow as an artist and what it means to make her mark on the classic genre.

    This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

    JOY: This album was a turning point. Because I feel like it was the first time I really had to make a decision about what my path was going to be. With the first two albums, it was just songs that I loved and felt like I could interpret as my own. And this album, “Portrait,” was the first time I felt like I took the reins of creative direction and band mates and songs. And honestly kind of opened up even more to my band mates and said, arrange. I want you guys to orchestrate this next era.

    So, it was definitely a big leap, I think, from maybe what people thought I should do after the second album after the best new artist. And I think this album taught me the importance of patience and not rushing to stay relevant or spark up a moment or just stay in that moment. It taught me to just take my time and really wait until you have something you feel like you have to say.

    JOY: I never expected to be nominated. I never thought that that was a possibility, at least so early on in my career.

    Even thinking about it now, I can see everybody still and still feel the way that I felt that night. It’s a night that I will never ever forget. And I’m thankful. I’m really thankful to everybody who believed in me enough to allow me to have that moment, who voted, who listened to my music, who support me then and still support me now. Which is why I never want to lose sight of what I do this for.

    JOY: A couple years ago I did the Hollywood Bowl and it was a birthday celebration for Quincy Jones — Patty Austin, I got the chance to sing alongside of her. And backstage, you know, she was funny and sharp and quick, but she was just very supportive and very honest. And that meant a lot to me from somebody who has been in the industry for as long as she has and collaborated with Quincy Jones and George Benson and James Ingram and all these people to be so encouraging on this new journey as I kind of embark on it.”

    JOY: I guess I never thought about it that way. There are so many wonderful artists that I draw inspiration from — Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington through the course of their lives contributed to the changing to the evolution of the music that we call jazz. I know that there’s always gonna be a certain sense of nostalgia and a certain artist or song that people can connect to or relate to easily because jazz is not mainstream, at least to me, I don’t think unless it is really, really, really, really watered down, I don’t think it will be.

    But it’s an opportunity for me to once again be authentic and show people like, “Have you ever heard of this Abby Lincoln song?” Or maybe this Thelonious Monk song doesn’t have lyrics, but I can put lyrics to them and share a different, you know, a different compositional style. And a different voice in jazz. And so I guess that’s my way of reclaiming it and educating in a way and just introducing people to the sound that they may not recognize at first, but good music is good music.

    JOY: I feel very honored and sometimes undeserving because of how new my relationship to their music was initially. I hadn’t really listened to their music or their voices at all growing up and getting introduced to them in college, it just felt like another world had opened up and I felt like I wanna sing, I wanna be able to move people the way that they move me with their voices.

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  • From Grammy winner to children’s author: Laufey’s new book is ‘Mei Mei The Bunny’

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    NEW YORK (AP) — She’s won a Grammy, collaborated with Barbra Streisand and performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Now Laufey is taking on a new challenge: creating a children’s story inspired by her mascot-alias, Mei Mei The Bunny.

    Penguin Workshop announced Tuesday that Laufey’s picture book, “Mei Mei The Bunny,” will be published April 21. Illustrated by Lauren O’Hara, the book tells of Mei Mei’s determination to become a professional musician even as she encounters some initial struggles.

    “I’m so excited to now share Mei Mei The Bunny in storybook form!” Laufey said in a statement. “Mei Mei has been a part of my life for over the last few years and opening up the world around her has been the most beautiful exploration. I hope that anyone at any age can find something in Mei Mei’s story that inspires them and connects them to the people in their lives.”

    Born Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir in Iceland, the 26-year-old Laufey is known for her distinctive blend of pop, classical and jazz. Her release from 2023, “Bewitched,” won a Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album. Earlier this year, she released the album “A Matter of Time.”

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  • D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies

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    D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video, has died. He was 51.

    The singer, whose real name was Michael Eugene Archer, died Tuesday after a long bout with cancer, his family said in a statement.

    It called him “a shining star of our family and has dimmed his light for us in this life,” adding that they are “eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind.”

    D’Angelo performs during FYF Fest in Los Angeles on Aug. 23, 2015. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

    In his music, D’Angelo blended hip-hop grit, emphatic soul and gospel-rooted emotion into a sound that helped spearhead the neo-soul movement of the 1990s. Earlier this year, the Virginia native celebrated the 30th anniversary of his debut studio album “Brown Sugar,” a platinum-selling offering that produced signature hits like “Lady” and the title track. The 1995 album earned him multiple Grammy nominations and cemented him as one of R&B’s most original new voices.

    D’Angelo’s sultry vocal style — a mix of raspy texture and church-bred fluidity — set him apart from his peers. That voice became inseparable from the striking visuals of his 2000 single “Untitled (How Does It Feel).” The minimalist, shirtless music video became a cultural touchstone, igniting conversations around artistry, sexuality and vulnerability in Black male representation. The song earned him a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance and propelled his sophomore album “Voodoo,” topping the Billboard 200 chart and winning the Grammy for best R&B album.

    D'Angelo performs at the "Made In America" music festival in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2012. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

    D'Angelo performs during FYF Fest at L.A. Memorial Sports Arena & Exposition Park in Los Angeles, Aug. 23, 2015. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

    With an idiosyncratic spirit not unlike Prince, D’Angelo’s devotion was always to the craft — not the machinery around it. In a 2000 interview with The Associated Press, he spoke candidly about the cost of chasing commercial success.

    “(Musicians) have gotten trapped into that mode of thinking marketable and commercial. That destroys art, that destroys the essence of what it is about,” he said. “You cannot, you cannot work like that. You cannot make music like that. That’s not what this is about.”

    That same year, D’Angelo reflected on his need for solitude amid fame: “I used to hang out a lot, but now I’ve become more of a recluse,” he told AP. “I long for just peace and silence.”

    D'Angelo performs at the "Made In America" music festival in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2012. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

    D’Angelo performs at the “Made In America” music festival in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2012. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

    Beyond his own catalog, D’Angelo’s artistry shined in collaborations. He memorably duetted with Lauryn Hill on the soulful ballad “Nothing Even Matters,” a highlight of her landmark 1998 album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” He also contributed to The Roots’ 1996 album “Illadelph Halflife” and was part of the supergroup Black Men United, which yielded one song: “U Will Know,” which D’Angelo wrote and co-produced, for the film “Jason’s Lyric” in 1994.

    “I remember hearing your music for the first time… I said to myself damn whoever this is they are anointed,” Jamie Foxx said on social media. “Then when I finally got a chance to see you… Like everyone when they saw the most incredible music video of our time… I was blown away… I thought to myself I have to see this person in concert… I had my chance to see you at the house of blues… You came out and got right down to business… Your voice was silky and flawless… I was graciously envious of your style and your swag…”

    Years before stepping back from public view, D’Angelo’s life and music were closely intertwined with Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone in the ’90s. The pair met while he was finishing “Brown Sugar” and bonded over their shared Southern roots and deep church upbringing. Stone contributed to the album and later collaborated with him on “Everyday,” a song from her 1999 debut album, “Black Diamond.”

    Stone once described D’Angelo as her “musical soul mate,” to the AP in 1999, adding that their working relationship was “’like milk and cereal …. Musically, it was magic. It’s something that I have not been able to do with any other producer or musician.” They had a son together, the artist Swayvo Twain, born Michael Archer Jr.

    Stone died earlier this year in a car crash. She was 63.

    D’Angelo also has a daughter, Imani Archer, who is also a music artist.

    D'Angelo performs during FYF Fest at L.A. Memorial Sports Arena & Exposition Park in Los Angeles, Aug. 23, 2015. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

    D’Angelo performs during FYF Fest at L.A. Memorial Sports Arena & Exposition Park in Los Angeles, Aug. 23, 2015. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

    In the years that followed, D’Angelo’s life became as defined by absence as by acclaim. After “Voodoo,” he withdrew from the spotlight for more than a decade, fueling speculation about personal struggles and creative battles. His long-awaited return came in 2014 with “Black Messiah,” credited to D’Angelo and The Vanguard. The urgent and politically charged album that arrived amid nationwide protests and helped usher in a wave of activist music responding to police killings of Black Americans and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

    The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and won him a Grammy for best R&B album, reaffirming his stature as a generational voice. Its standout single, “Really Love,” earned him another Grammy for best R&B song and earned a nomination for record of the year.

    In May, D’Angelo withdrew from being a headliner for the 2025 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia due to “an unforeseen medical delay regarding surgery (he) had earlier this year,” the artists shared in a statement. D’Angelo said he was advised the performance “could further complicate matters.”

    Beyond his biggest singles, D’Angelo’s catalog includes fan favorites like “Me and Those Dreamin’ Eyes of Mine,” “Cruisin’” and “Devil’s Pie.” His influence stretched far beyond the charts: he inspired a wave of artists including Maxwell, Alicia Keys and Frank Ocean.

    ___

    AP Music Writer Maria Sherman contributed to this story.

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  • From Grammy winner to children’s author: Laufey’s new book is ‘Mei Mei the Bunny’

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    Laufey, the Grammy-winning artist, is creating a children’s story inspired by her mascot-alias, Mei Mei The Bunny

    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — She’s won a Grammy, collaborated with Barbra Streisand and performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Now Laufey is taking on a new challenge: creating a children’s story inspired by her mascot-alias, Mei Mei The Bunny.

    Penguin Workshop announced Tuesday that Laufey’s picture book, “Mei Mei The Bunny,” will be published April 21. Illustrated by Lauren O’Hara, the book tells of Mei Mei’s determination to become a professional musician even as she encounters some initial struggles.

    “I’m so excited to now share Mei Mei The Bunny in storybook form!” Laufey said in a statement. “Mei Mei has been a part of my life for over the last few years and opening up the world around her has been the most beautiful exploration. I hope that anyone at any age can find something in Mei Mei’s story that inspires them and connects them to the people in their lives.”

    Born Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir in Iceland, the 26-year-old Laufey is known for her distinctive blend of pop, classical and jazz. Her release from 2023, “Bewitched,” won a Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album. Earlier this year, she released the album “A Matter of Time.”

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  • Selena Gomez marries Benny Blanco: ‘My wife in real life’

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    SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Selena Gomez has married music producer and songwriter Benny Blanco, announcing the news in an Instagram post showing the couple kissing and embracing on a lawn.

    “My wife in real life,” Blanco responded to the post Saturday by the Grammy- and Emmy-nominated performer. Gomez wore a white halter bridal dress with floral flourishes, and Blanco wore a tuxedo and bow tie, both custom-made by Ralph Lauren.

    Paparazzi had snapped photos of a massive outdoor tent and other preparations in the Santa Barbara area.

    Friends in the entertainment industry and brands she’s linked to responded with heart emoji and congratulations. “Our Mabel is MARRIED,” said the account of her “Only Murders in the Building” series, and her Rare Beauty line of cosmetics posted: “so happy for you two.” Best wishes were also sent by Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer and others.

    Blanco, 37, and Gomez, 33, met about a decade ago and got engaged at the end of last year. They worked together on the 2019 song “I Can’t Get Enough,” which also featured J Balvin and Tainy.

    Among the songs he’s credited on as a writer and producer: Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” “Circus” by Britney Spears and Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger.”

    Gomez, whose hits include “Calm Down,” “Good for You,” ’’Same Old Love” and “Come & Get It,” has been in the spotlight since she was a child. She appeared on “Barney and Friends” before breaking through as a teen star on the Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.”

    She earned awards nominations in recent years for her ongoing role alongside Martin Short and Steve Martin in Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.” Gomez has a massive audience on social media with 417 million Instagram followers, the most for any woman on the platform.

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  • All hail the ‘Queens’: Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Stephanie Mills restart their tour

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    NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Patti LaBelle didn’t envision a six-decade career when she entered the music business at 14 years old. But 67 years later, she doesn’t take it for granted, acknowledging the fragility of life.

    “I think of my sisters who all passed before they turned 50, and so I thought that I would be one who also would … leave at a certain age,” reflected the 81-year-old entertainment icon. “When I turned 70, I said, ‘I’m still doing it.’”

    A regal celebration would be fitting for a singular act of her eminence, but to the delight of adoring subjects, there’s even more fanfare to bestow. “The Queens: 4 Legends. 1 Stage.” tour features LaBelle with fellow music legends Chaka Khan, Stephanie Mills and Gladys Knight, 81. The second leg of their royal concert processional kicks off Friday in Greensboro , North Carolina.

    “They’re coming to the four of us and loving what they see because we’ve not stopped. We’re phenomenally into what we do. There’s no pretending,” said LaBelle, the “Lady Marmalade” and “If Only You Knew” singer-actor, noting a tour with a collection of this much prestige is unprecedented. “To come back with the Queen’s tour, it’s just beautiful.”

    The first leg of the tour — produced by Black Promoters Collective — ran from May through June. Arenas were treated to megahits like Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” and “Sweet Thing,” Knight’s “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye),” Mills’ “Home” and “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” as well as LaBelle’s “The Right Kinda Lover” and “You Are My Friend.”

    A rotating stage transitions each 45-minute set into the next performance, introducing each artist to their wide cross-section of concertgoers, which often includes multiple generations: parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents. Individually, the impact of Khan, Knight, LaBelle and Mills within the music industry and pop culture can’t be quantified, with fans and critics praising them for never abandoning soul music or their Black audience.

    “I hear it all the time. You know, ‘I was weaned on you,’ from mother to grandmother on down. It’s lovely to hear,” Khan, 72, told The Associated Press in a joint interview with LaBelle and Mills. “I’m sure I can’t grasp the feeling that they’re feeling, but I get it — I think. And I think it’s pretty special.”

    At 17 years old, Mills originated the role of Dorothy in “The Wiz,” which debuted on Broadway 50 years ago. Now, 68, the Grammy winner affectionally known as “the baby” by her co-headliners, says there’s no need to slow down.

    “It’s in the blood. What would we do? Sit at home and not do anything?” said Mills, who hopes for another Broadway stint in the near future. “I was 11 my first Broadway show. So, I’ve been in the business my entire life.”

    Despite the accolades amassed by each artist – Khan and Knight are both in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – the rarity of assembling a tour with iconic legacy artists with long careers is not lost on them. But what Khan, the “Ain’t Nobody” and “Through the Fire” singer, is most proud of is far more poignant.

    “Staying alive,” said Khan, who’s lived a colorful public life, and has not shied away from discussing her past substance abuse issues in various interviews in the past. “I probably took it for granted at some point in my life.”

    Khan’s story will be brought to the stage in the “I’m Every Woman” production premiering in London’s West End in early 2026. Khan, who’s also been in the studio with Sia, has said she’s prepping an album featuring unreleased music she recorded with Prince and Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham.

    “The Queens: 4 Legends. 1 Stage.” tour is scheduled to wrap Oct. 5 in Cleveland. LaBelle, who’s preparing to launch a new syrup in her popular food line, says she recognizes the blessing of still being able to get on stage and perform.

    “My favorite part is just being able to still do it at my age,” she said. “Most people hide their age when they turn 50 … it’s a blessing, it’s a graduation. And like I said, at this age, don’t be afraid to do anything … you can’t stop living.”

    ___

    Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

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  • Morgan Wallen joins artists pushing back on Grammys

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    Despite dominating the Billboard charts, country music star Morgan Wallen is opting out of the Grammys. His team says none of his new songs will be submitted, echoing similar moves by major artists critical of the awards.

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  • Q&A: Mariah Carey wasn’t always sure about making a Christmas album

    Q&A: Mariah Carey wasn’t always sure about making a Christmas album

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    LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mariah Carey relishes the fact that she has become culturally synonymous with Christmas — thanks in part to the longevity of her iconic song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and its ubiquity every year when the holidays roll around.

    But the Grammy winner admits she initially wasn’t sure about doing a Christmas record when her label pitched it. “I was a little bit apprehensive,” she recalls, reflecting on her album, “Merry Christmas,” turning 30 this month.

    Ahead of her appearance at Sunday’s American Music Awards and an upcoming Christmas tour that kicks off in November, Carey spoke with The Associated Press about the advice she would give to young artists navigating fame and the use of her song, “Always Be My Baby,” in Ari Aster’s 2023 horror comedy, “Beau Is Afraid.”

    The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

    CAREY: I think “The Emancipation of Mimi” is one of my albums where there were different boundaries that got pushed aside and I was really happy about that because I needed to come back, apparently. And so, it was a comeback. But it’s one of my favorite albums. And celebrating it this year and this celebration of “Mimi” was really fun because I never get to do those songs. I never do them. And this this time I did.

    CAREY: Yeah, I feel like people were ready to re-embrace me. And, you know, how did I feel about that? I mean, I feel like the album “Charmbracelet” was a very good album too, but not everybody knew that album. So, you know, when “We Belong Together” came out after “It’s Like That,” which didn’t do as well but still did pretty well. Whatever.

    CAREY: It’s a good song. And I love performing it. You know, I go through stages with these albums. It’s interesting.

    CAREY: So that was the record company saying, “You should do a Christmas album.” And I was like, “I don’t know that I should at this juncture.” Because, you know, I was very young and was just starting out and I felt like people do Christmas albums later in their lives. But now people have started to do them whenever, like right at the top of their career. So, I mean, what was I feeling like? I was a little bit apprehensive and then I was like, “I love this.” And I decorated the studio and just had the best time.

    CAREY: Well, I have been through my share of dramas and it’s not fun because you grow up thinking, “I want to be famous.” I mean, really with me, it was always, “I want to be a singer. I want to write songs.” But “I want to be famous” was right there with it. I feel like it was probably because I didn’t feel like I was good enough on my own because of the things I went through growing up. And that’s not a good way to feel, you know?

    But my advice would be try your hardest to go into this industry with a love of your talent or what’s really real for you. You know, if it’s like, “I want to be famous. I want to run around with those people, whoever they are, the famous people,” then it’s probably not the best idea.

    CAREY: Yes. I had to approve that. I thought it was interesting the way they used my song, “Always Be My Baby.” That was interesting. I mean, it didn’t really match with the movie, but, you know, I was just being edgy by saying, “You know, okay, fine.” It was very different. I mean, I wasn’t reluctant, but I thought, “This is something way different than I’ve done ever.”

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  • Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with prerecorded French performance

    Lady Gaga dazzles at Olympics opening ceremony with prerecorded French performance

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    Catch up on AP’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, with performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and more. Follow AP’s live coverage.

    PARIS (AP) — Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony — except it was all prerecorded.

    The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer kicked off her performance on steps along the Seine River, singing “Mon Truc en Plumes” in a tribute to French ballet dancer, actor and singer Zizi Jeanmaire. She was accompanied by a troupe of eight dancers carrying pink feather fans, all in custom Dior costumes, before she moved on to the piano.

    “Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music—I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth—Paris,” the singer wrote on X after her performance.

    The singer’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment about why her performance was prerecorded.

    See AP’s best photos from the 2024 Paris Olympics

    1 of 30 | 

    The cauldron rises by the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)


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    The cauldron is lit by torch bearers Marie-Jose Perec and Teddy Riner in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)


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    The Olympic Flame rises on a balloon after being lit in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)


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    Singer Celine Dion performs from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)


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    A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


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    A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


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    IOC President Thomas Bach speaks as Tony Estanguet, president of 2024 Paris Olympics looks on in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


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    United States’ Coco Gauff and Lebron James take photos as they travel along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis,Pool)


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    A performer rides a mechanical horse along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)


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    The Olympic flag is carried onto the stage in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)


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    Egypt athletes leap while participating in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)


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    Logan Edra, of the United States breakdancing team, dances as she travels along with teammates on the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, Pool)


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    Athletes from the United States travel by boat down the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)


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    A torchbearer carries the Olympic flame over a building along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, Pool)


    15 of 30 | 

    Ceremonial smoke in the colors of the France flag appear over the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)


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    Athletes travel by boat along the Seine River during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)


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    Lady Gaga performs in Paris, France, ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)


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    A performer sits on a bridge in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)


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    Athletes from Spain travel by boat down the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)


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    The Eiffel Tower gives backdrop to athletes riding on boats along the Seine River in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, Pool)


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    Team Greece’s boat parades along the Seine river in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)


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    Visitors are seen on a bridge ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Zhang Yuwei/Pool Photo via AP)


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    Stephen Curry of the United States takes a photo prior to the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024.(Quinn Rooney/Photo Photo via AP)


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    Spectators wave French national flags while waiting at the Seine river front in Paris, France, for the start of opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)


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    Serena Williams arrives in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)


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    Athletes of Israel take a selfie aboard a boat in the floating parade on the Seine River in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Nir Elias/Pool Photo via AP)


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    The boat carrying the Olympic Refugee team makes its way down the Seine in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)


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    Spectators wait for the start of the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)


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    Security patrol by boat in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)


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    Entertainers Ariana Grande, right, and Cynthia Erivo arrive in Paris, France, before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)



    An Associated Press reporter saw Gaga begin to warm up around three hours before the opening ceremony started, performing for about an hour before waving to fans as she walked off.

    Gaga’s appearance was a surprise — she was not listed on a program provided to the media in advance — but was heavily rumored after the singer and actor was spotted in Paris.

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  • Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade

    Celine Dion makes musical comeback at Paris Olympics with Eiffel Tower serenade

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    PARIS (AP) — Celine Dion made a triumphant return Friday with a very public performance: closing out the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower.

    Nearly two years after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Dion belted Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the finale of the roughly four-hour spectacle. Her appearance had been teased for weeks, but organizers and Dion’s representatives had refused to confirm whether she was performing.

    On a page dedicated to Dior’s contributions to the opening ceremony, the media guide referred to “a world star, for a purely grandiose, superbly scintillating finale.”

    This photo released by the Olympic Broadcasting Services shows Canadian Singer Celine Dion performing at the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, Friday, July 26, 2024. (Olympic Broadcasting Services via AP)

    Dion had been absent from the stage since 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of her tour to 2022. That tour was eventually suspended in the wake of her diagnosis.

    The rare neurological disorder causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms, which were affecting Dion’s ability to walk and sing. In June, at the premiere of the documentary “I Am: Celine Dion,” she told The Associated Press that returning required therapy, “physically, mentally, emotionally, vocally.”

    “So that’s why it takes a while. But absolutely why we’re doing this because I’m already a little bit back,” she said then.

    Even before the documentary’s release, Dion had taken steps toward a comeback. In February, she made another surprise appearance, at the Grammy Awards, where she presented the final award of the night to a standing ovation.

    For Friday’s performance, Dion’s pearl outfit was indeed designed by Dior. Speaking on French television, the Paris organizing committee’s director of design and costume for ceremonies, Daphné Bürki, recalled Dion’s enthusiasm for the opportunity.

    “When we called Celine Dion one year ago she said yes straight away,” Bürki said.

    Dion is not actually French — the French Canadian is from Quebec — but she has a strong connection to the country and the Olympics. Dion’s first language is French, and she has dominated the charts in France and other French-speaking countries. (She also won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with a French-language song … representing Switzerland.) And early in her English-language career — even before “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” — she was tapped to perform “The Power of The Dream,” the theme song for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

    Dion’s song choice also evoked a sports connection: Piaf wrote it about her lover, boxer Marcel Cerdan. Cerdan died soon after she wrote the song, in a plane crash.

    ___

    Associated Press reporters Sylvie Corbet, Jerome Pugmire and Samuel Petrequin contributed.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

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  • Olympics opening ceremony moments: Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and a curious torchbearer

    Olympics opening ceremony moments: Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and a curious torchbearer

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    PARIS — The Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony got underway after a rough start to the Summer Games on Friday, with rainy skies over the Seine and suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s flagship high-speed rail network.

    French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane kicked off the opening ceremony with the Olympic flame in his hands. In a prerecorded video, he’s seen running and weaving through a Parisian traffic jam before he delivers the flame to a group of children on the metro who then make their way through the Catacombs and to a boat, at which point the broadcast switched to a real-time view of the Seine River.

    Lady Gaga delivered a dazzling performance as the first musical act during the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony — except it was all prerecorded. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning performer kicked off her performance on steps along the Seine River, singing Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes.” Gaga’s appearance was a surprise — she was not listed on a program provided to the media in advance — but was heavily rumored after the singer and actor was spotted in Paris.

    Is it from the “Phantom of the Opera” or “Assassin’s Creed”? It’s actually both and more. The mysterious torchbearer that appeared in a hooded, masked costume was inspired by a number of characters from French culture: Belphégor, the Iron Mask, the titular character from “Phantom of the Opera,” Fantomas, Ezio from “Assassin’s Creed” and Arsène Lupin. The torchbearer ran atop the Musee d’Orsay, dashed past Pont Neuf, rode a boat with a kid holding the flame and later cartwheeled down a red runway.

    “We were impressed by the opening ceremony and very proud to see that Assassin’s Creed was one of the inspirations for the show’s talented creators. It is a true testament to video games’ influence on popular culture,” said a spokesperson for Ubisoft, creator of “Assassin’s Creed.”

    The former would be the French singer and actor Philippe Katerine, singing “Nu” (“Naked”). Katerine, 55, became popular in France in the 2000s with his dance beat “Louxor, j’adore.” Katerine appeared lounging on a rug, painted in powdery blue from head to toe and seemingly clad in just a smattering of leaves and flowers. He was channeling Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and festivity, the media guide said, with a song about “the absurdity of violence between human beings.”

    His character is fitting if you consider artistic director Thomas Jolly’s notes. “Sequana, the daughter of Bacchus, god of wine (and celebration and excess!), was pursued by Neptune, who coveted her for her beauty. The nymph managed to escape him by transforming herself into a river: The Seine,” he wrote. (Bacchus is Dionysus’ Roman equivalent.)

    Sometime after Katerine’s performance, a glittering metal horse gallped across the water with an armored horsewoman astride. The horsewoman, Gendarmerie noncommissioned officer Floriane Issert, was meant to be “the representation of the Olympic spirit and of Sequana.” She and her trusty horse — which eventually turned into a real equine — passed under successive bridges as dove wings unfurled to symbolize a message of peace.

    Despite the rain, joy and happiness still filled the gloomy skies of Paris. Musical performances, colorful smoke plumes in the air and a thrilled audience cheered as each boat floated by the Pont d’Arcole. From every window along the river, groups of people waved with enthusiasm to the athletes, who danced and celebrated to the lively music. While each team was kitted out in distinct uniforms, the clear poncho united athletes across nationalities.

    France’s top artists from different musical genres showed off on the global stage. Opera singer Marina Viotti meshed her skills with the death metal style of Gojira. Singer Aya Nakamura strutted down a golden carpet on the Pont des Arts. In a gold feathery outfit, the French Malian performer sang her hit songs “Pookie” and “Djadja” alongside the choristers from the French Army and French Republican Guard orchestra members. Parisian rapper Rim’K also made an appearance, while mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel delivered an emotional interpretation of the French national anthem “La Marseillaise.”

    Underneath the Eiffel Tower’s Olympic rings, Celine Dion showed she’s back to singing form after a career-threatening diagnosis as her vocals soared on Edith Piaf’s “Hymn to Love.” As a pianist played alongside her, Dion reached out to the assembled crowd, who applauded her stellar performance before the monument began to sparkle. It was an impressive showing for Dion, who canceled her world tour after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis. It’s a rare neurological condition that causes rigid muscles and painful muscle spasms. She returned to the Olympic forefront nearly three decades after she performed ”The Power of the Dream” during the opening ceremony at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Sarah Parvini contributed from Los Angeles.

    ___

    For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.

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  • How reggaeton stars are driving a basketball boom in Puerto Rico

    How reggaeton stars are driving a basketball boom in Puerto Rico

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    CAROLINA, Puerto Rico — Vianca Braña never used to attend basketball games in her hometown of Carolina, Puerto Rico — or anywhere else in the United States territory. But in recent years, the 23-year-old has left the arena with a hoarse voice, often wearing a T-shirt that reads “Carola,” a nickname for her town.

    “We started making this fun, and I wanted to represent the town where I’m from,” said Braña, who attended her first game the year Puerto Rican reggaeton star Bad Bunny bought a team in the island’s professional men’s basketball league. It was also around that time that she began placing bets on different teams across Puerto Rico with her girlfriends.

    Braña’s fervor illustrates how Puerto Rico’s professional men’s basketball league is experiencing a revival, driven by reggaeton stars like Bad Bunny, Ozuna and Anuel AA, who are stepping into the financial game, buying local teams and helping to stack up a loyal fan base the island hasn’t witnessed in over 40 years.

    What were once half-empty arenas in Puerto Rico are now packed, filled with families and young fans cheering for their favorite teams, from Los Capitanes de Arecibo in northern Puerto Rico to Los Leones de Ponce in the south.

    Attendance more than doubled from 2018 to 2023, skyrocketing from some 480,000 tickets sold to nearly 1 million, according to Puerto Rico’s professional men’s basketball league, whose digital presence has also soared in the past few years.

    A pivotal moment in the league’s revival came in 2021, when three-time Grammy winner Bad Bunny became co-owner of Los Cangrejeros de Santurce, along with his manager, Noah Assad.

    Bad Bunny’s frequent game-day visits sparked a resurgence in Puerto Rico’s basketball scene. Other artists like Anuel AA quickly followed, buying Arecibo’s Capitanes team before a new owner took over in 2023, and Ozuna acquiring Manatí’s team, renaming it Los Osos, in 2022. The league, known as BSN, currently has 12 teams playing, compared with nine just four years ago.

    Basketball games have transformed into premier rendezvous events, attracting celebrities like NBA legend LeBron James, former boxer Floyd Mayweather and reggaeton artists including Arcangel and Rauw Alejandro, capturing audiences of all ages hoping to get a glimpse of them.

    “When Noah and Bad Bunny came along, we generated a lot of noise,” said Ricardo Dalmau, president of BSN. “It was an explosion of attention.”

    Dalmau said local TV ratings also saw an upward tick after they began broadcasting some games in 2021, with the biggest surprise being their largest viewership block: women ages 18 to 49, a new audience that was also reflected in the bleachers.

    “You never know what artist you’re going to find in the (league),” he said.

    Before its recent surge in popularity, the league was under financial strain. Although Dalmau did not provide specific numbers, he said there used to be a lot of uncertainty about whether certain teams would participate or whether the league could fulfill players’ contracts. “We don’t have those problems anymore,” he said.

    Javier Sabath, a popular basketball commentator on the island, said he is witnessing what his father — a sports commentator himself decades ago — describes as the environment in the 1980s, the heyday of the league.

    “New generations have never seen this before,” Sabath said. “The boom with urban artists revived the Puerto Rican sports history that had been forgotten.”

    Sabath said the momentum created by artists has fueled fans’ excitement beyond just seeing reggaeton stars. “Indirectly, these artists are attracting enough attention to make people interested in our league,” he said. “It’s a domino effect.”

    A bittersweet moment took place recently, when Puerto Rico national men’s basketball team, composed of several of the league’s star players, qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The victory over Lithuania broke a 20-year drought for the team that last competed in 2004, beating the USA team in the Athens Olympics. It is also a loss for the league’s teams playing later in the summer.

    The league’s renaissance comes after its peak over 40 years ago. Teams in Bayamón, Quebradillas, Ponce and other towns had produced renowned players, including Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican player to enter the National Basketball Association; Raymond Dalmau, whose son currently presides over the league; and Rubén Rodríguez, who played for Los Vaqueros in Bayamón.

    As part of the current frenzy, ex-NBA players have moved to Puerto Rico in recent years to join the league. Will Barton and Jared Sullinger play for San Juan’s team, while other ex-NBA players like DeMarcus Cousins, Lance Stephenson and Brandon Knight also joined before moving on to other stints.

    Still, some problems remain beyond the league’s control, including severe budget cuts, with the government slashing the island’s sports and recreation department budget by more than half over the past decade. A lack of investment and maintenance in sports arenas across the island has caused leaks, leading to game suspensions after heavy rains.

    “Despite the lack of economic resources, we’ve been able to sort it out,” said Ray Quiñones, secretary of sports and recreation of Puerto Rico, whose infrastructure budget was cut from about $15,300 in 2014 to barely $7,500 in 2024.

    Sports arenas face the additional problem of chronic power outages across Puerto Rico, which is still rebuilding its electric grid after Hurricane María, a Category 4 storm that razed the island in September 2017.

    In June, a game in Carolina between the home team, Los Gigantes, and Los Indios of Mayagüez was suspended after a widespread power outage left more than 340,000 customers without electricity. A month earlier, a game in San Juan’s main arena was also suspended due to a power outage.

    Despite the challenges, younger generations are finding refuge outside their homes — which also contend with frequent power outages — and a new sense of pride by attending the games.

    For fans like Annais Ramírez, basketball arenas feel like safe spaces, especially for women looking to engage in historically male-dominated areas.

    “There are so many artists coming to the games, and you wonder if you’ll run into one,” the 27-year-old said as she stood next to her friend, who sported a necklace with a diamond-encrusted “C” for the town of Carolina.

    Her love for Carolina’s team has grown beyond her expectation to run into a celebrity. During her free time, Ramírez goes on social media to catch up on the games she couldn’t attend in person, checking out highlights, halftime performances and crowd reactions.

    “Those motivate you to be part of the movement,” she said. “On weekdays, this helps me unwind.”

    ___

    Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

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  • UK fans wonder if Taylor Swift will say ‘So long, London’ after Eras Tour

    UK fans wonder if Taylor Swift will say ‘So long, London’ after Eras Tour

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    LONDON — Taylor Swift fans enjoy parsing the singer-songwriter’s lyrics for references to her romantic life and insights into her state of her mind.

    But the pop superstar’s fans in the U.K. didn’t have to listen closely to her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” to get the sense that Swift had soured on the country’s capital city after long making it a regular hangout and then her second home. The record’s fifth track is titled “So Long, London.”

    As Swift brings her blockbuster Eras Tour to London’s Wembley Stadium, some Swifties therefore are wondering if they are witnessing the beginning of an extended goodbye. She is performing three nights starting Friday, and is scheduled to return to Wembley for six nights in August to close the tour’s European leg.

    London is the only city on the tour where Swift is stopping twice. Some worry the arrangement may represent a swan song of sorts, while others think it just reflects a new era in Swift’s bond with the Big Smoke. Whether “So Long, London” turns out to be a final chapter or a bookend to her valentine to the city, the song “London Boy,” Eras is arriving as an emotional milestone.

    “Her relationship now kind of assumes London won’t be somewhere she will be. It’s not like there is an American football player living here,” said Maggie Fekete, 22, a Canadian graduate student who credits the London references in Swift’s music with orienting her when she moved to the city three years ago. “I think there will be a lot less London in her music, which is sad.”

    For those who haven’t been paying attention, Swift had a series of romances with famous British citizens, starting with Harry Styles in 2012 and ending last year, when she started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The speculation surrounding “So Long, London” and a mournful companion song that mentions a London pub, “The Black Dog,” stems from the 2023 breakup of Swift and English actor Joe Alwyn, who were together for over six years.

    Alwyn is assumed to have inspired “London Boy,” a song from her 2019 album “Lover.” A special-edition “Lover” CD included what appeared to be a January 2017 diary entry in which Swift talked about being “essentially based in London” but trying to lay low. British tabloids later reported that Swift spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic sheltering with Alwyn in north London.

    The Sun newspaper reported in December that the multiple Grammy-winner had bought a large property in the area and was remodeling it to be her base in Europe. After Swift released “The Tortured Poets Department” last month, however, a writer for the British edition of ELLE magazine observed that Londoners had an opening “for an all-American A-lister who can slot into her place in our collective consciousness.”

    “We had Swift before we lost her to her record-breaking, box office-breaking Eras Tour and now, it would appear that her vacant position has been filled by Zendaya,” writer Naomi May playfully posited before listing the various locations the American actor had been spotted with her longtime boyfriend, British actor Tom Holland.

    Either way, the capital is putting on quite a show of its own to make sure Swift and her fans feel appreciated. Guides are offering walking, bus and taxi tours that retrace her footsteps, including a kebab shop whose owner says his establishment is supplying sandwiches for the singer and her crew on Friday.

    Before the end of August, Swifties can partake in a full diet of Swift-themed brunches and dance parties, or ride the London Eye Ferris wheel accompanied by a string quarter playing her music. Souvenir stalls in Camden Market, one of the places mentioned in “London Boy,” stocked up on Swift-specific caps, T-shirts, bags and stickers in preparation.

    “We’re very proud that London is hosting more shows than any other city on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, a real testament to her love for London,” Laura Citron, CEO of tourism agency London & Partners, said.

    Fans started lining up outside Wembley on Thursday in hopes of being among the first ticket-holders to claim spots in standing sections close to the stage. A pop-up tour merchandise store opened in a parking lot by the stadium that morning.

    Zachary Hourihane, who co-hosts a Swift podcast called “Evolution of a Snake” and posts YouTube and TikTok videos under the name Swiftologist, said it’s too soon to know whether the singer will retain her honorary citizenship or part ways with London. As her fans know all too well, only time will tell with Taylor.

    Hourihane notes that Swift started spending more time in London after a difficult year in which she went from winning album of the year at the 2016 Grammy Awards for “1989” to seeing her popularity plummet amid a public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. From his study of her life in England, he thinks the happy memories she created there come mixed with “a sense of isolation.”

    “There is a lot of nostalgia that might have turned into regret,” Hourihane said. “She felt like she was trapped there for a while.”

    Fast forward several boyfriends, 10 albums (including the Taylor’s Version re-records ) and the Eras Tour juggernaut, and it’s not surprising her life is up for reappraisal. Hourihane suspects Swift is “not quite ready to give up on London” for both practical and artistic reasons.

    “Taylor is someone who retraces her steps a lot. Things are never really over with her. She likes to revisit things that have finished,” he said. “Let’s be realistic about it. Her relationship, even if it is, ‘so long, goodbye,’ she has good reason to be in London and good money to make there.”

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  • New Orleans’ own PJ Morton returns home to Jazz Fest with new music

    New Orleans’ own PJ Morton returns home to Jazz Fest with new music

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    NEW ORLEANS — Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer PJ Morton comes home with a new album and memoir dropping soon amid a Saturday afternoon performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which nears the end of an eight-day run.

    Morton, a preacher’s kid whose parents — the Revs. Paul and Debra Morton — are well-known in the city, said he looks forward every year to taking the stage at the Fair Grounds.

    “Jazz Fest always feels like home,” Morton said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It feels like a family reunion. We want the food, just like everyone else does. You get to see all your friends, see everybody. There’s nothing better than that.”

    Morton said he does not take for granted the love he feels in his hometown or in performances done around the world.

    “I’m amazed at the crowds and the rooms we get to play,” he said. “The joy started in small clubs where we were playing to 20 to 50 people. Now it’s thousands. I love to see the growth. It’s just special at every single level for me.

    “I hope the fans leave with having had a good time. I want to give people everything I have and let people already familiar with my work leave knowing that and those who aren’t familiar with this ‘PJ Morton kid,’ feel it too.”

    Since New Orleans is home, he said the city always gets a little something special.

    “I play things here that I don’t play anywhere else, like ‘New Orleans Girl,’ which I wrote for Jazz Fest 10 years ago,” he said.

    Morton has been a keyboardist for Maroon 5 since 2012. That year he also dropped his first debut solo EP, “Following My First Mind.” Maroon 5’s lead singer, Adam Levine, was featured on the lead single, “Heavy.” The next year, Morton released his first major-label debut album, “New Orleans.” And, in 2017, he released his first self-released studio album “Gumbo,” earning him two Grammy Award nominations.

    In 2019, he took home a Best R&B Grammy for “Say So” and Best Traditional R&B Performance for “How Deep Is Your Love.” Since then, he’s won three more Grammys for Best Gospel Album, Album of the Year and, this year, for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Good Morning.”

    At Jazz Fest, Morton said fans can expect to hear a mix of old and new, including songs from his latest project, “Cape Town to Cairo,” a collection he created in 30 days during a journey that took him to South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt.

    On Friday, he released his new single, “Smoke & Mirrors,” which is about “defying preconceptions” and has a “message that connects back to self.”

    He said the project forced him to trust his gut instincts.

    “I wrote every day for 30 days and recorded every day,” he said. “It was fully written in Africa and I now I’m giving it to the world. On my last album, ‘Watch The Sun,’ I had a lot of duets with heavy hitters like Stevie Wonder and Nas and had so much time to mull over everything because of the pandemic. This, closes that chapter for me. This one I wasn’t able to overthink. I wanted to be inspired by the moment and go off of instinct. And, it gave me a real deadlines. In the end, I learned that limitations can give you freedom.”

    In addition to the music, Morton said his memoir “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning,” is scheduled for release Nov. 12.

    “I don’t generally talk about my journey. I make albums, I tour and I mind my business,” he said, laughing. “But over the last several years, the Grammy wins and being able to do all this independently, owning my masters and making my own decisions, I thought it was a good time to put it on paper. ‘Emotions’ turns 20 years old in October and I thought it was a good time to share that mark and let people know that some of this crazy stuff I did actually worked. I’ve been able to do it this way, my way and hopefully I can inspire some others to stick to their guns along their own journeys.”

    Jazz Fest concludes its eight-day run on Sunday. Other headliners Saturday include Queen Latifah, Neil Young Crazy Horse, Greta Van Fleet, Tab Benoit and Sonny Landreth.

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  • Billy Joel Fast Facts | CNN

    Billy Joel Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Billy Joel.

    Birth date: May 9, 1949

    Birth place: Bronx, New York

    Birth name: William Martin Joel

    Father: Howard Joel, engineer and pianist

    Mother: Rosalind (Nyman) Joel, homemaker

    Marriages: Alexis Roderick (2015-present); Katie Lee (2004-2009, divorced); Christie Brinkley (1985-1994, divorced); Elizabeth Weber (1973-1982, divorced)

    Children: with Alexis Roderick: Remy Anne and Della Rose; with Christie Brinkley: Alexa Ray

    Nominated for 23 Grammy Awards and won five, plus an honorary award.

    Nominated for one Tony Award and won.

    Nominated for one Primetime Emmy Award but did not win.

    His father was a Holocaust survivor from Germany.

    Named one of the 100 greatest songwriters of all time by Rolling Stone.

    Holds the lifetime record of most performances by any artist at Madison Square Garden in New York.

    He played the first rock concert ever held at New York’s Yankee Stadium in 1990, and the final rock concert ever played at New York’s Shea Stadium before it was torn down in 2008.

    1965 – At 15 years of age, plays piano on a demo version of The Shangri-Las’ hit single, “Leader of the Pack.”

    1971 – Releases his first solo album, “Cold Spring Harbor.”

    1973 – Releases his first hit single, “Piano Man.”

    February 15, 1979 – Wins two Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “Just the Way You Are.”

    February 27, 1980 – Wins two Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his album, “52nd Street.”

    February 25, 1981 – Wins the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for “Glass Houses.”

    April 15, 1982 – Is hospitalized after he severely injures both hands in a motorcycle accident on Long Island. He needs two months to recover.

    July 26, 1987 – As the first American entertainer to launch a full-scale rock production in the Soviet Union, Joel plays his first concert in Moscow; five other concerts follow, including two more in the capital and three in Leningrad.

    January 1990 – Forty thousand copies of a ten-minute audio message by Joel, plus a recording of his 1989 hit, “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” are sent to schools across the United States in hopes it will assist them in understanding history.

    February 25, 1992 – Receives the Grammy Legend Award.

    1992 – Becomes a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

    September 1992 – Files a fraud and breach of contract lawsuit against his legal team for their role in mismanaging his financial affairs. The case is settled in October 1993.

    1994 – Kicks off his Face-to-Face tour with Elton John. Joel and John perform additional Face-to-Face tours together in 1995, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2010.

    1999 – Ray Charles inducts Joel into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

    2001 – Releases an album of classical music, “Opus 1-10 Fantasies & Delusions – Music for Solo Piano.”

    June 14, 2002 – Enters Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut for alcohol abuse treatment.

    October 24, 2002 – The Broadway show “Movin’ Out,” based on the music of Joel, opens. The production is conceived, directed and produced by Twyla Tharp.

    2003 – Wins a Tony Award for Best Orchestrations for the Broadway musical, “Movin’ Out.”

    2004 – Scholastic publishes Joel’s first children’s book, “Goodnight My Angel: A Lullabye.”

    March 2005 – Enters a rehabilitation center for alcohol treatment.

    2005 – Scholastic publishes Joel’s second children’s book, “New York State of Mind.”

    February 14, 2007 – Releases one song, “All My Life,” for his wife, Katie Lee, on People Magazine’s website.

    November 2010 – Undergoes a double hip replacement in a New York hospital.

    December 12, 2012 – Along with Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones, Joel performs at Madison Square Garden to help raise funds for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

    December 8, 2013 – Is a recipient of the Kennedy Center Performing Arts Award.

    January 2014 – Begins his run as the first musical act to perform monthly shows at Madison Square Garden in New York. On June 1, MSG Entertainment announces Joel will end his ten-year, record-breaking residency at MSG. The final concert, his 150th lifetime show, will take place in July 2024.

    June 18, 2014 – Joins the fight to criminalize the ivory trade. Joel publishes a letter on his website stating: “I am a piano player. And I realize that ivory piano keys are preferred by some pianists…but a preference for ivory keys does not justify the slaughter of 96 elephants every day.”

    November 19, 2014 – Is awarded the 6th Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

    March 23, 2016 – Joel’s hit single, “Piano Man,” is selected by the National Recording Registry for preservation in the Library of Congress.

    March 10, 2023 – Joel and Stevie Nicks kick off their co-headlining tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

    February 1, 2024 – Joel releases his first new single in 17 years, titled “Turn the Lights Back On.”

    April 14, 2024 – Joel’s concert special, “The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time,” airs on CBS. The special marks Joel’s 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden.

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  • Willie Nelson Fast Facts | CNN

    Willie Nelson Fast Facts | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Here’s a look at the life of Grammy Award-winning musician Willie Nelson.

    Birth date: April 30, 1933

    Birth place: Abbott, Texas

    Birth name: Willie Hugh Nelson

    Father: Ira Nelson

    Mother: Myrle (Greenhaw) Harvey

    Marriages: Ann Marie D’Angelo (1991-present); Connie Koepke (1971-1988, divorced); Shirley Collie (1963-1971, divorced); Martha Matthews (1952-1962, divorced)

    Children: with Ann Marie D’Angelo: Micah and Lukas; with Connie Koepke: Amy and Paula; with Martha Matthews: Billy (died in 1991), Susie, Lana; with Mary Haney: Renee

    Education: Attended Baylor University, 1954

    Military: US Air Force, 1950, medical discharge

    Raised by his grandparents.

    Sold encyclopedias door-to-door and taught Sunday school.

    Has collaborated with Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Lee Ann Womack, Rob Thomas and Snoop Dogg, among others.

    Has a fifth-degree black belt in GongKwon YuSul.

    Nominated for 57 Grammy Awards and won 12. He has also been awarded the Lifetime Achievement and Legend Grammy Awards.

    Nominated for one Academy Award.

    Composed the song “Crazy,” which was made famous by singer Patsy Cline.

    Is on the advisory board of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

    1957 – Releases his first single, “No Place for Me.”

    1960 – Moves to Nashville.

    1962 – Releases his first album, “And Then I Wrote.”

    1970 – Moves back to Texas.

    1973 – Holds the first annual Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Picnic in Texas.

    1975 – Wins a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, for “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.”

    1978 – Wins a Grammy, with Waylon Jennings, for Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group for “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.”

    1978 – Wins a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, for “Georgia On My Mind.”

    1979 – Makes his acting debut, alongside Robert Redford, in the film, “The Electric Horseman.”

    1980 – Wins a Grammy for Best Country Song for writing “On The Road Again.”

    1980 – Stars in the film “Honeysuckle Rose.”

    1982 – Wins a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, for “Always On My Mind.”

    1982 – Stars in the film “Barbarosa.”

    1985 – Releases the album “Highwayman” with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.

    1985 – Organizes Farm Aid, a concert to benefit family farmers.

    1988 – Releases his memoir, “Willie: An Autobiography.”

    1990 – The IRS seizes Nelson’s property and possessions to settle a $16.7 million tax debt.

    1991 – Nelson releases the album, “The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories?” Nelson gives the profits from the album to the IRS.

    1991 – Nelson’s son, Billy, commits suicide.

    1993 – Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

    1994 – Is arrested for possession of marijuana. The case is later dismissed.

    2000 – The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presents Nelson with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

    2002 – Wins a Grammy, with Lee Ann Womack, for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for “Mendocino County Line.”

    2002 – Releases the book, “The Facts of Life and Other Dirty Jokes.”

    2006 – Releases the book, “The Tao of Willie.”

    2006 – In Louisiana, Nelson is issued a citation for possession of marijuana and illegal mushrooms. Nelson receives six months’ probation and pays a fine.

    2007 – Wins a Grammy, with Ray Price, for Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for “Lost Highway.”

    2010 – Is charged with marijuana possession after US Border Patrol agents search his tour bus in Texas near the US-Mexico border.

    2012 – Releases the book, “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road.”

    2013 – Nelson donates his collection of awards and personal items to the University of Texas at Austin’s Briscoe Center.

    July 9, 2015 – The Library of Congress announces Nelson as the latest recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

    July 2016 – Nelson launches “Willie’s Reserve,” his own personal brand of marijuana that will be grown and sold wherever it’s legal. The brand will feature “high quality strains of marijuana,” and Nelson himself will work with “master growers” and local retailers to establish a set of “quality standards” for his special reserve.

    February 12, 2017 – Wins a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, for “Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin.”

    July 4, 2018 – Launches his own blend of CBD infused coffee called “Willie’s Remedy.”

    September 29, 2018 – During a campaign rally for Beto O’Rourke’s senate run in 2018, Nelson plays a new election themed song called ‘Vote ‘Em Out.”

    August 7, 2019 – After a show in Toledo, Ohio, announces via Twitter that he must cancel upcoming shows on his 2019 tour due to “a breathing problem.” He will resume the tour on September 6 in New Hampshire. This follows a 2017 show that was halted and a 2018 performance that was canceled due to health issues.

    November 29, 2019 – Nelson announces he is no longer smoking marijuana and cigarettes due to ongoing health and breathing issues.

    January 26, 2020 – Wins a Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance, for “Ride Me Back Home.”

    April 11, 2020 – Nelson hosts “At Home with Farm Aid,” a virtual benefit concert for farms impacted by coronavirus.

    April 20, 2020 – Nelson hosts a virtual variety show, “Come and Toke It”, featuring “cannabis-centric entertainment”.

    June 29, 2020 – Nelson performs with Robert Earl Keen at a virtual fundraiser to support the former US vice president Joe Biden’s presidential bid.

    February 5, 2023 – Wins Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance, for “Live Forever” and Best Country Album, for “A Beautiful Time.”

    February 1, 2023 – Nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. On May 3, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announces Nelson as one of the inductees in the 2023 class in the performer category. The 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place on November 3.

    March 14, 2024 – Nelson announces via Instagram that his new album, “The Border,” will be released on May 31. This will be his 75th studio album.

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  • Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ reinforces her dedication to Black reclamation — and country music

    Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ reinforces her dedication to Black reclamation — and country music

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    LOS ANGELES — First, Beyoncé arrived at the 2024 Grammy Awards in full cowboy regalia — making a statement without saying a word. Then, during the Super Bowl, she dropped two hybrid country songs: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” All of that heralded her latest album, “Act ll: Cowboy Carter,” out Friday.

    As a Black woman reclaiming country music, she stands in opposition to stereotypical associations of the genre with whiteness. “Cowboy Carter” was five years in the making, a direct result of what Beyoncé has called “an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed … and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” most likely a reference to a 2016 CMAs performance that resulted in racist backlash.

    Fast forward eight years, and last month, she became the first Black woman to ever top Billboard’s country music chart. The “Cowboy Carter” doesn’t shy away from country: the track list has teased potential collaborations with Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson and included a mention of the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” a Jim Crow-era network of Black entertainment venues. One song is titled “The Linda Martell Show,” after the performer who became the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry.

    Nevertheless, she declared on social media, “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album” — in 10 words separating herself from the industry while still identifying herself as someone working in and with the genre.

    Beyoncé hails from Houston, a city with a rich musical interplay of “blues and country and hip-hop,” says Francesca T. Royster, a DePaul University professor and author of “Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions.”

    “The iconography of Texas as a place of freedom and boldness, those ideas have definitely been part of Beyonce’s ongoing star image,” Royster says.

    Houston is also home to the rodeo, the country’s oldest Black trail ride, and Black cowboy culture — in 1800s Texas, one in four cowhands were Black. Royster says Beyoncé has inherited this history by exploring country sounds, as evidenced on the country-zydeco-R&B barnburner “Daddy Lessons” from 2016’s groundbreaking “Lemonade.”

    At the time, though, the Recording Academy rejected its inclusion in the Grammys’ country categories. “Daddy Lessons” was also kept off country radio, says Alice Randall, author of “My Black Country” and the first Black woman to write a country No. 1 hit in Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl).”

    The hybridized approach of “Daddy Lessons” came two years before Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” would raise similar questions of what kind of artists are embraced by the country music industry when they experiment with different styles.

    If there is a lightning rod country music moment in Beyoncé’s career to date, it’s her performance of “Daddy Lessons” at the 2016 Country Music Awards with The Chicks, six days before Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.

    “The CMAs are an important place to stage and test the ways that the genre is willing to collaborate and connect,” says Royster.

    The award show regularly welcomes pop musicians to perform alongside country acts in an attempt to reach new audiences — Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton performed together the year prior.

    Critics celebrated the powerful performance, but online, Beyoncé was met with racist backlash and some viewers labeled her “anti-American.”

    “This was an especially difficult time to perform racial crossing because of the heightened tensions around the election and the unresolved tension of The Chicks,” Royster says.

    In 2003, just before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, The Chicks’ Natalie Maines said they were ashamed to be from the same state as then-President George W. Bush. There was immense backlash that “reflected the kind of preferences that country music ended up moving towards in that post-9/11 moment, where country radio shunned The Chicks, stopped playing their music, and instead, played these jingoistic anthems and helped popularize them,” says Amanda Martinez, author of the upcoming “Gone Country: How Nashville Transformed a Music Genre into a Lifestyle Brand.”

    When they joined Beyoncé, it was their first time back at the CMAs.

    Beyoncé had aligned herself with the Black Lives Matter movement and performed at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show surrounded by Black dancers in black leather and black berets, reminiscent of the Black Panthers. Some football fans vowed to #BoycottBeyonce.

    For Beyoncé and the Chicks — symbols of progressive politics in a traditionally conservative arena — “it was just too much,” says Martinez, who adds that the CMAs were very excited to get Beyoncé, and then quickly changed course, scrubbing any mention of her appearance from social media.

    If “Lemonade” established Beyoncé’s dedication to Black empowerment, and her last album, “Act l: Renaissance” is viewed as an exercise in reclaiming House music, on this album, “she is reclaiming the Black roots of country music,” says Martinez. That’s evidenced in the inclusion of banjoist Rhiannon Giddens, whose music and scholarship highlights the contributions of Black Americans in folk and country.

    Martinez sees Beyoncé’s direct predecessors in Martell, The Pointer Sisters and Tina Turner’s 1974 country album — and a present one in up-and-comer Tanner Adell, who sings, “looking like Beyoncé with a lasso,” on her 2023 single “Buckle Bunny.”

    “16 Carriages,” which pulls from gospel country and Beyoncé’s own rich ballad repertoire, functions “in conversation with (Johnny Cash’s) ‘16 Tons,’” Randall says.

    In Randall’s view, the impossible-to-define origins of country music center on three forms: Celtic ballad storytelling, African influences and evangelical Christianity.

    “Country music can’t be country music without Black influences,” she says, pointing out that Hank Williams’ mentor was a Black musician from Alabama named Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne and that the American folk group The Carter Family learned from Lesley Riddle.

    Black musicians’ lack of visibility, too, in the genre is a factor for prevailing stereotypes: Martell’s 1970 landmark record “Color Me Country” was incredibly influential and successful — only for her label to divest from her, instead funneling resources into a white performer.

    That extends to songwriters as well. “There is a word I use: as a songwriter, you can go ‘incog-negro.’ No one knows you’re Black when they’re listening to a song. I was writing songs about the Black experience, but I was incog-negro,” Randall says, using Charlie Pride as an example. “They did not let his audience know he was Black until he was popular.”

    Add gender into the equation and “small towns are smaller for Black girls,” she says. “And Music Row is a small town.”

    “Country music has a rigid, centralized power structure that has wielded a lot of power over ‘what country music is,’” says Martinez. Beyoncé is not beholden to those forces.

    “Beyoncé is Black, so she can be seen as an outsider,” she says. “But she says, ‘This ain’t a country album.’ I think that this speaks to the distinction between country music as an art form without boundaries, and the industry of country music.”

    Randall agrees: “The songs that have been released preserve the best of country and take country to places it has never been.”

    “Evolving and preserving is a facet of the genius of Beyoncé,” she says.

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